


The Silver Separation

by asarahworld



Series: The Doctor and Rose Tyler [53]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Ficandchips, Timepetalsprompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-05-15 00:08:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19284022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asarahworld/pseuds/asarahworld
Summary: What happens when the Doctor and Rose Tyler accidentally land on a planet where aliens are taken into custody?  And humans are subject to societal re-integration?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Timepetalscollective's trope bingo from a long time ago.
> 
> Two years later, I am so excited to be posting this. Hope you all enjoy!

“Run!” The Doctor felt a familiar hand slip into his and he started to run without a second thought. He glanced into Rose’s eyes as they wove through the crowded market, not knowing where exactly they were going.

“Flirting with another one of your pretty boys?” His voice was gruff, but his eyes were twinkling, and Rose had to laugh at his jealous antics. He’d never change, she thought, even after four regenerations together. The Doctor and Rose Tyler, together, like they should be.

“How many times do I promise you forever, and yet you still think that I’m flirting with the locals,” she replied cheekily, her tongue poking through her teeth in a way that always managed to arouse the Doctor’s interest. “Honestly Doctor, I’m all yours.”

“Yes, well, that’s what got us into this mess,” he said snarkily, trying to make light of the situation.

“What, is that it then? That I’m in love with an alien?” Rose said lightly.

“That too.” The Doctor pulled Rose down into an alleyway, drawing his hoodie over his head as an extra precaution.

On the main street, law enforcement officers searched for them. It wasn’t that they had done anything illegal, not really. How was he supposed to have known that nonhumans were banned entirely from the planet? It wasn’t as if there was a sign that said to stay away, and if there was, it was probably in the planet’s orbit, bypassed by the TARDIS’ landing circuitry. It wasn’t his fault that his brilliant ship could avoid all that extra travel and they had missed the glaringly obvious warnings.

“Tall, handsome stranger, pushing me up against some back-alley wall. Either I’m about to have the greatest shagging of my life, or they’re getting closer,” Rose whispered, her hands pinned against the Doctor’s chest.

“It could be both, if you could ever learn to be quiet,” the Doctor stressed the last word, straining to hear what was happening on the main street. Rose could hear the officers conferring with one another on their radios, and she looked at the Doctor, silently asking about his plan. He laid a finger across her lips and Rose, ever the minx, kissed it.  
“Rose,” he growled.

Her playful smile grew into a feral smirk. “Yes Doctor?”

“Shh,” he said lowly. Rose pouted playfully, silently stroking his thumb with her free hand, knowing that now was not the time for distractions.

“Doctor!” Rose cried as she was ripped from his side. She tried to elbow her captors, kicking fruitlessly as she was roughly pulled away. “Doctor!”

“Rose!” Her name burst from his lips. “Rose! Let go,” he snapped at the alien pinning him against the wall. “Where are you taking her?” His eyes flickered dangerously from the alien to Rose and back again, standing so still that he felt the alien tremble.

“She is human,” the guard said neutrally, shackling the Doctor’s hands behind his back.

“Where are you taking her?” The Doctor attempted to calm the brewing Oncoming Storm. The sonic was in his breast pocket, unreachable for now.

“It is none of your concern,” the guard snapped. “You are not human and will be taken for processing.”

“And what of Rose?” The Doctor asked darkly.

“The human female will be taken back to our people. She will not be punished, but rather re-integrated into civilized society,” the guard said distastefully.

“Oh, is that what you call this? Civilized?” The Doctor said scathingly. The guard did not dignify him with a response.

The Doctor was taken to a facility on the outskirts of the town. The walls must have stood proud at one moment in history, but now they crumbed, though a shiny silver gate loomed ominously behind them. He did not have long to take in his surroundings – the guard impatiently prodded his back with every wayward glance.

The Doctor’s mind (and hearts) raced. He needed a plan. He needed to find Rose. He needed to escape this facility. He needed to get out of the cell where the guard had left him.

The cell’s door would be simple to unlock with a pulse from the sonic screwdriver. He could then activate the invisibility watch, and while this would allow him to leave unnoticed, his disappearance would probably set the guards on high alert. Which meant that he would need to find Rose quickly and leave for the TARDIS as soon as possible.  
The Doctor momentarily wondered why his plans never failed to come together simply but always became complicated the moment one was set in action.

It had been roughly forty-five minutes since they had been forcibly separated. Rose was currently being examined by the facility’s chief physician.

“You have been contaminated,” the man said clinically. “Computer begin Decontamination Sequence Alpha Two.”

“What’s that mean? Contaminated by what? What’s this decontamination thing?” Rose struggled against her restraints.

REPORT. EXTERNAL RESIDUE ON PATIENT’S LIPS, HANDS. NO INTERNAL RESIDUE DETECTED. The computer’s mechanical voice was tinny as it read out her vital signs.

Rose frowned as she worked out why they were scanning her. Her face flushed as the meaning of the computer’s report became apparent. “What’s it matter to you if I’m… if  
I’m dancing with someone?” She demanded. The computer did not reply.

“Infection,” the physician said brusquely.

“Where’s the Doctor?” Rose’s eyes narrowed. The people of this planet clearly did not take kindly to alien visitors, even those of their own species, and she worried for the Doctor’s safety, despite his greater experience.

“The alien is in confinement.”

“Well that’s a rubbish answer,” Rose’s Cockney accent grew thicker, laced with anger. The physician unlocked her restraints and pressed a button on the wall.

“Two two A,” he said into the comm, and the door to the corridor opened. “There are security personnel randomly positioned in the corridors, who shall assist you if you should leave your quarters.”

“Where. Is. The. Doctor?” Rose asked again, her hands balled by her sides.

“I shall be your doctor. Is there a problem? Come back to the examination room and I can help you.” The physician’s tone had softened, no doubt in some attempt to placate her.

“No, thanks.” Rose seethed. She would find him, regardless of the policies on a wayward planet. They would always find each other.

“Please proceed to room twelve-R. End of the corridor, last door on the right,” he said cordially. Rose did not reply but went to the room.

She looked around the flat – six doors down either wall. It crossed her mind that some of the other ‘residents’ must be in a similar situation to her own.

The Doctor had once said that the domestic approach was what he liked about her, Rose remembered fondly. She decided to get to know her temporary neighbours, reasoning that the people on this floor must all be human. She opened the door to ‘her’ room, slipping inside and watching until the guard had left. As soon as the corridor was clear, Rose stepped back out and knocked confidently on the door opposite.

“Hello?” A short man, with a Parisian accent (city, Rose thought dimly, not planet) stood in the doorframe. “Can I help you?” He sounded bemused.

“Hi, I’m Rose,” she said, plastering a smile on her face, “they’ve put me in just across the corridor. What’s your name?”

“I am Raoul,” the man replied.

“S nice to meet you Raoul.” Rose plunged straight into a tirade of questions. “Do you know where we are? Why are the police (are they legal? Are they police? Military?) segragatin’ people by species? How long ‘ave you been here?”

Raoul blinked owlishly. “No, technically, it’s sort of complicated, I don’t really know, around three and a half years,” he said slowly.

“Blimey, wasn’t really expectin’ an answer to every one of those,” Rose murmured. Raoul shrugged. “S just that most times, people tend to look at me like ‘m crazy,” she chuckled.

“Spending three and a half years in relatively solitary confinement does tend to leave one’s social skills somewhat vulgar.” Raoul smiled politely.

“What do you know about this place? I… came here with someone, but ‘e was taken somewhere else.” Rose began, rather cautiously.

“He’s not human,” Raoul surmised. Rose looked up. “Your partner. It is clear in your eyes. I have not seen my Ramón since coming to this wretched place.”

“M so sorry.” Rose thought of the Doctor – the way his smile would light up his face, how soft his hair felt between her fingers, the warmth of his double heartbeat at night. She refused to believe that they would be separated forever. Never ever.

“It is not your doing, Rose.”

“Nope.” Rose was thinking. She heard footsteps patter down the corridor. Eyes widening with fright and suspicion, Rose made to dash back to her cell, but Raoul held her sleeve.

“The guards only care about keeping us separated from our lov-, from any aliens. Mingling amongst ourselves is permitted, even encouraged,” he said bitterly. Nevertheless, Rose remained tensed until Raoul had released her.

“I don’t really care about what’s permitted,” she tried to refrain from seething at her only ally in this prison. “I need to find the Doctor.”

“As I must find Ramón,” Raoul said gently.

Rose’s demeanour softened at the reminder that Raoul was in the same situation, that he had been here much, much longer.

“What do you know about this place?” For the next few hours, Raoul told Rose all that he had observed about the prison. The facility was mainly an alien prison, though it also imprisoned any humans who had been arrested for fraternization. The guards shifted approximately every five and a half hours, with a longer changeover during human prisoner mealtimes.

Breaking out seemed hopeless. Even if they managed to somehow get off this apartment floor, neither Rose nor Raoul knew what lay outside the building, nor where in the facility the aliens were kept.

“Rose,” Raoul was shaking her shoulder. Blinking blearily, Rose was groggily coming to the realization that she had fallen asleep in Raoul’s room.

“M sorry,” she yawned. Apparently, she had been nodding off for the latter part of their conversation. Rose muttered a goodbye – more sleep sounded very appealing to her weary body – and she trudged back to the room that the guard had left her in.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor was waiting. As desperately as his hearts yearned to escape his cell immediately, he knew that he needed to wait. His cellmates were easily identifiable – a Sontaran, a Zocci, and a Voord. He’d tried to speak to them, to find out why they were here, but they’d apparently silently and unanimously elected to ignore him.

Years and years ago, he might have tried to unite the prisoners, to have them organise their own resistance. But he was older now, and tired. Tired of caring about the greater good. All that the Time Lord wanted was to find Rose and disappear back into the Vortex.

Rose. He exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. Every Planck that ticked away without her was agonizing – more than six hours had passed since they had been separated and, even though he knew that she would mostly likely be treated well among her own species, he was worried. Rose could usually take care of herself, he knew from past experience, but she was jeopardy-friendly and prone to getting into trouble.

The Doctor mentally reviewed what little he had been able to observe about the prison:  
1\. People were segregated, humans and everyone else. There did not appear to be any further disunion of peoples, at least in the cell blocks that he had seen.  
2\. Humans were ‘re-integrated’ into society. (This could mean many things and the Doctor could only hope that this process did not involve re-wiring Rose’s brain. She… but he dared not let his thoughts go down that path.)  
3\. The outer area of the facility was worn down and in poor-condition. It would be simple to resonate through a structure that was already breaking down.

But when was anything as simple as it was broken down to be? The reality of his escape would no doubt be very different than the theory of it. The Doctor revised his plan.

“So,” he drew his hands down from where they had been pressed against his mouth. “Why are you lot in here?”

The assortment of aliens stared at him.

“Go on then, I haven’t got all day. I suppose that if I didn’t have a plan, then I would. Have all day. But I do, so I don’t, so do get on it with.”

The Sontaran leered. “I was captured as part of an infiltration unit. SONTAR-HA!”

The Doctor sighed, ignoring it as people are apt to do when dealing with a Sontaran, and tried engaging the Zocci.

“I’m the Doctor. Who are you?”

“Hannaloffamoffatoff,” the Zocci replied dully.

“Hannaloffamoffatoff,” the Doctor repeated. “Right then, Han, what are you doing here?”

“Hannaloffamoffatoff,” the Zocci said indignantly. The Doctor glared at him, his limited patience already worn thin. “Navigational error.” The Doctor could have laughed. Instead, he muttered that he knew the feeling of not being able to pilot one’s ship accurately.

A man stood from the darkened corner, easily a foot taller than the Doctor. “I am Ramón. We were en route to Epsilon Five when our ship crashed on this planet.”

The Doctor looked over at him. “We?”

“My husband, Raoul, was taken from me when we were discovered by the locals here,” Ramón exhaled sharply.

“Raoul is human,” the Doctor stated. At Ramón’s nod, he continued. “I, too, was separated from my human partner. Which means that although the people of this planet don’t care for aliens, they must at least tolerate off-worlders of their own species.” The fifth hour of his separation from Rose was looming nearer, and the Doctor was little closer to finding her. His face hardened.

“We will find Raoul,” the Doctor promised his cellmate. ‘Rose, I’m coming for you,’ he swore anxiously, and a pool of golden warmth flooded his mind.

“What of Hannamoffloff?” Ramón glanced at their cellmate.

“Hannaloffamoffatoff,” the Doctor correctly him absently. “He can accompany us or remain here. Han?” He turned.

Hannaloffamoffatoff narrowed his eyes but decided that it would be better to attempt an escape, than to remain in the dark, dingy cell the rest of his life.

“And what of you, Sontaran?” The Doctor looked to where the fourth prisoner was skulking in the corner.

“I am a warrior! SONTAR-HA!” It cried.

The Doctor (almost) groaned. “Yes, yes, but are you staying or coming?”

“I shall aide my new comrades in their Quest to escape, to the glory of the Sontaran Empire!” The Sontaran proclaimed.

“What’s your name then?” Ramón asked quickly, cutting off whatever the Doctor had been about to say.

“I am Torlel Toruk, first order general.” Torlel Toruk snapped.

The Doctor pressed his ear against the door, listening. The corridor was silent. He extended his sonic screwdriver and began scanning, adjusting the sound frequencies to resonate the locking mechanism. The lock clicked open. The Doctor slowly eased the door open, peering into the corridor. His frown grew worriedly.

“The corridor is empty.”

Hannaloffamoffatoff slipped through the open door. “Han,” the Doctor hissed, but the Zocci ignored him. “Come on, then,” the Doctor said to the rest of his companions, following Hannaloffamoffatoff. Ramón, Toruk, and the still-silent Voord were close behind.


	3. Chapter 3

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea,” Raoul stood against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

“Well, it’s the only plan we’ve got,” Rose said crossly. “I don’t like it, either. But we’ve got to do something and,” she made an exasperated sound.

They listened as the guards exchanged words, straining to hear the first guard leave. Once she was certain that only one remained, Rose looked to Raoul, who, sighing, nodded.

Rose clutched her abdomen and screamed. Instantly, the guard opened the door.

“What is going on in here?”

“I,” Rose cried, her face twisted with pain.

Raoul punched the back of the guard’s head, who crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Rose knelt beside him, prising his keys from his clenched fingers. She and Raoul dragged him into her former prison, locking him in.

“It’s a good thing you were fast. I had no idea what I was doing.” Rose started opening every door, much to the confusion of the humans inside. “We’re getting out,” she told them, aided by Raoul. Finally, one door opened off to another corridor. Rose thought of the Doctor and bit her lip. ‘I’m coming,’ she swore silently. ‘Always.’

There was a door at the end of the corridor, which opened into a stairwell. Rose immediately started heading down. “That’s usually where they tend to keep the more dangerous prisoners, yeah?” Unbidden memories flooded her mind, times when she had been in maximum security cells, detention centres, and jails, the Doctor always at her side.

The heavy door at the bottom of the stairwell was thick and intimidating. The air was stale and dry. Rose tried several keys in the locks and groaned. “The physical locks are done, but there’s a retinal scanner.”

“We need the guard.” Raoul looked back through the small tunnel, now packed with people.

“I’ll go back. ‘M smaller, can weave through easier. Besides, ‘m sure that someone’ll help carry ‘im back.” Rose started to make her way through the people, running when she could back up the stairs. Steeling herself, she cracked open the door to the cells. It was empty.

Rose stared at the empty space where they had left the guard, gathering her thoughts. After a moment, she turned, running back to the freed humans.

“We need to get out, now.” Rose eyed the scanner. “’e’s gone.”

An older woman, heavyset with greying hair, stepped out from the crowd. “Allow me,” she breathed on the scanner, lighting up the oily residue. A green light flashed, and the door began to swing open.

“Fantastic!” Rose couldn’t help but grin. “How’d you know to do that?”

“I watched quite a few spy movies in my youth,” she replied, with a thick Russian accent. “Quickly now. Everybody through.”

The new tunnel went upward. Rose took this as a sign that the prison levels were underground. The ground was relatively smooth, with wheel tracks running down the centre, and she assumed that there was a sort of rudimentary cart system that their jailors used for transport between the levels. The air was fresher, and they pressed onwards.

Twenty feet from the entrance of the tunnel, Raoul stopped. “I do not know what it is like up there. That is one of the reasons why I was against this escapade.”

“We’ll find where they’re keeping our nonhuman… friends,” Rose looked out to the people, gently squeezing Raoul’s hand. “And we will get out of here, yeah?” A cheer rose from the crowd. “Let’s go.” She started back up the tunnel.

The air was damp, the sky a cloudy grey. Rose felt gooseflesh begin to form on her bare arms. They had ended up in a courtyard, dark and gloomy, filled with statues, which she eyed warily. She told herself that they were only stone statues, that the ever-distrustful local population would know if they were aliens – Angels. Rose told herself this, and many other non-comforting statements as they moved across the open area, which was otherwise devoid of life.

Around twenty minutes later, the formerly captive humans had approached a small settlement. “Looks like we picked the wrong tunnel to get out of here quietly,” Rose remarked. The others crowded about her, eyes darting, watching the human settlement suspiciously. “I don’t know about you lot, but I’m going in. The worst they can do is throw us back into that prison. We’ll be no worse off than we already were.”

“Or we can be free. We will find our husbands, our wives. Girlfriends, boyfriends, partners. We will find them, and we will be reunited.” Raoul’s voice was alluring, and the humans cheered. Rose watched him with interest.

“You’ve changed your tune,” she muttered, pulling him aside.

“If we are to have any hopes of finding them and leaving this infernal planet, then they need to truly believe in themselves,” Raoul replied bitterly. “I shall put on a show for them, for as long as they believe that a reunion is possible, the more progress we make in our escape.”

“Keep thinkin’ like that and you’ll start believin’ it. Hope can be contagious,” Rose smirked. She looked at their fellow captives, some of whom had broken away and were hurrying towards the camp. “Looks like you’ve inspired them, then.” Rose grabbed Raoul’s hand, following the group.

“Yes, but what will we do when we reach our captors? Simply demand that they hand over all the nonhumans whom they’ve arrested that we’ll be on our way? Even on the off-chance that that works, I highly doubt that every off-worlder has transportation available,” Raoul protested.

“Transport won’t be a problem.” Rose thought of the TARDIS, waiting anonymously in a market square for her crew to return.

“No? There are fourteen humans, and who know how many a-”

“Not a problem,” Rose repeated through gritted teeth. It was difficult to think of the TARDIS when she was so far from the Doctor.

“Whatever you say, it is your ship.” Raoul shrugged.

Rose was hit by a wave of homesickness. She longed to return to the TARDIS and simply pilot the ship to wherever her mental link with the Doctor led them. But that was even riskier than breaking into the prison. She refused to chance rematerializing anywhere that could delay reuniting with the Doctor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief chapter, where an important discovery is made.

The corridor led to an empty control centre. “Do not touch anything,” the Doctor enunciated slowly, his eyes flickering around the room, obviously taking in his surroundings. “Any button that gets pressed, any screen that changes increases the risk of someone coming to check it out.”

The Voord’s hand was hovering over what appeared to be a schematic of the prison.

“Don’t touch it!” The Doctor cried as the Voord narrowly avoided brushing the image.

“It is a holographic map,” it hissed.

The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket. “Allow me,” he pointed it at the map, disengaging the security locks. The map came to life, a three-dimensional hologram of the institute. Instantly, the aliens crowded around it, trying to absorb as much information as possible.

Rehabilitation Centre. Incompatibles. Processing. The Doctor’s eyes widened in horror. Each section on the map was consistent with names and/or synonyms used by – “Cybermen,” he breathed, staring at the map intently. “Of course.” Only humans could be properly converted, which was why the guards did not care about segregating all of the nonhumans. Only humans could be properly converted. His hearts clenched tightly in his chest. Rose. “We need to find where they are holding the humans,” he said urgently, not looking up from the hologram. His hand traced the corridors, memorizing their layout.

But the guards had been human… Partially converted Cybermen. Upgraded, but not yet converted. Clever. But he was cleverer. Presumably, incompatible prisoners were held in the ‘Incompatibles’ facility. “This way,” he said urgently, turning towards ‘Processing’.

“How do you know?” Ramón stared at the Doctor, his brow creased with worry.

“I don’t. Not for certain,” the Doctor admitted, his hearts clenched with concern for Rose. She was in more danger than he had realized. “But if they are in the Rehabilitation Centre, then there’s nothing that I can do.”

“Why? What is in the Rehabilitation Centre?” Ramón asked, somewhat cynically.

The Doctor closed his eyes, his hand still on his face. The other man couldn’t possibly be that thick. “The planet’s been overrun with Cybermen, Ramón. A ‘Rehabilitation Centre’ could only be hiding the Conversion Units. What else would Cybermen be doing with humans and compatible humanoids?” He was aware of the words he was saying, but the only thing on his mind was Rose. At least he now knew why nonhumans were ‘banned’ from the planet.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose Tyler was scared. Not of the chances of being caught, nor of the consequences that that would bring, but scared for the Doctor and what would happen to a double-hearted alien on a world that despised outsiders. She needed to find him. And to do that, she needed to talk to the locals and find out what was happening on this planet. She tried not to doubt that she would find him eventually, but she was terrified that the inhospitable humans occupying this planet would hurt him.

None of the humans noticed the small, electronic ‘rat’ that began to move, following them.

The town, if it could even be called that, was deserted. The streets were dead, the buildings long since abandoned. There was something not quite right with the serenity of the ghost town and it wasn’t until Rose heard the tell-tale mechanical thud of a Cyberman’s boots that she knew why she felt uneasy.

“Hide,” she hissed, flattening herself against the closest building. Raoul and the others quickly followed suit. The hydraulic pistons grew louder. The Cyberman – she was quite certain that there was only one – drew nearer. It would pause intermittently, no doubt scanning for life signs. They had to get away, quickly, before they registered on its scanners. Maybe I am scared of being caught, she revised her original thought. Still, scared was good. The Doctor had once said that fear was a superpower. Rose, and all the humans with her, were superpowered against the Cybermen. Something ran over her foot, something mechanical, and Rose felt the blood drain from her face. Whatever it had been must be related to the Cybermen. She made a made swipe at the mechanical thing, scrabbling in the dark. Nikita must have noticed, for she swooped down, scooping up the skittering cyber-thing in her scarf.

“What do we do with it?” She held it far away from her body, equally fascinated and terrified.

“Smash it” Raoul suggested immediately.

Nikita was swift to counter his idea. “The Cybermen might be tracking it. They’d notice if it stays in place for too long, or if it went offline. Too risky.”

“We need to get rid of it, without destroying it, in a way that would lead the Cybermen here to find us,” Rose articulated slowly, thinking.

“We take with us. There are no other options – we take with us, or we let it scurry on back to the Cybermen.” Nikita tied her scarf closed, trapping the Cybermat inside.

“Right, then.” Rose looked at her fellow prisoners. “I doubt that I need to reminder you lot what’d happen if the Cybermen capture us.”

Perhaps the Doctor was not in danger. Perhaps it was herself that Rose needed to worry about. The worst they could do to him would be to kill him and not give him the chance to regenerate. The thought was not a pleasant one and brought with it no sense of relief.

“Let us go, then,” Raoul said tiredly.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor flattened himself against the wall and motioned for the others to do the same. “There are at least a dozen Cybermen on the other side of that corridor,” he said, sotto voce.

“And they would just as soon kill us before letting us go,” Ramón interjected in the Doctor’s pause, who scowled, but said nothing. The other man was right. “We are useless to them and the only reason why we are still alive is that we were too stubborn to give up and die.”

“Let us lead a strike against them in the heart of their operations!” Toruk declared. “Such an attack would be unexpected and gives us the advantage.”

“And how would that be advantageous? They more than outnumber us, Toruk.” The Doctor didn’t entirely manage to refrain from rolling his eyes. “No, that would entirely squander the element of surprise, it’s no good.” Even as he voiced opposition to the proposal, the Doctor yearned to execute Torlel Toruk’s plan. At least then he wouldn’t be sitting around, squabbling with a ragtag group of aliens. He felt a sharp tug on the leg of his trousers and looked down at Hannaloffamoffatoff.

“Follow. Now.” Hannaloffamoffatoff was holding a small, nondescript door ajar. “Door not on map.” He disappeared.

“Han, wait-” If the door wasn’t on the map, that meant that the Cybermen didn’t know that it existed. Possibly. “I suppose we’d better follow him,” he muttered, crawling through the small opening. It was a tight fit, but there was enough room for the Doctor to worm his way through. Ramón stuck his head in experimentally and followed them. The Voord was, as ever, silent.

“How’s your enviro-suit holding up?” The Doctor called back, finally voicing his rising concern for the alien.

“Functional,” it hissed, climbing into the shaft after Hannaloffamoffatoff. Torlel Toruk was quick to follow, muttering to himself; the gist of which was bringing glory to the Sontaran Empire.

“And that’s everyone,” the Doctor counted the aliens as they exited the small, cramped passage. Ramón was staring up the tunnel.

“What is the plan? There were Cybermen at the end of the last tunnel, and there is nothing to suggest not to expect the same thing here.”

“If I am ever going to find Rose, I need to get out of here,” the Doctor said quietly.

“If we are going to find the humans, we need to get into the Rehabilitation Centre,” Ramón corrected him.

The Doctor felt a sudden pang of guilt. He’d only been separated from Rose for nine and a half hours. Thus far.

“The humans in the Rehabilitation Centre will be at least partially converted Cybermen. There is nothing that we can do for them. If they were someone you knew, they might not kill you immediately.” Stranger things had happened. “We need to get to Processing. We’ve travelled approximately two miles down this tunnel, which has been fairly straight. We need a left-hand turn-off.” The Doctor extended his screwdriver, still scanning. “According to my readings, there’s a fork around the next corner. And the Cybermen are still advancing.”

The ragtag band of aliens hurried down the tunnel.

“Left,” the Doctor hissed. “Hurry!” He could clearly hear the tell-tale heavy thud of the incoming Cybermen.

They surfaced from the tunnel. “It is a ghost town,” Ramón noted.

“Probably what’s left from after the Cybermen invaded,” the Doctor quickly crossed the deserted street to stand against a building. Surreptitiously, he scanned the area, looking for brain activity that wasn’t warped by emotion inhibitors.

“Raoul,” Ramón muttered suddenly, breaking away from the group.

“Ramón, wait,” the Doctor was barely able to hold the taller man back.

“The worst they can do it kill me. But Raoul…” Ramón reminded the Doctor through clenched teeth.

“Wait,” the tone underlying the Doctor’s words made Ramón reconsider. He stayed. “Everyone, turn the corner on my mark.” He waved his hand and the aliens charged the corner, finding themselves face to face –

“Rose,” the Doctor choked, his arms outstretched and already reaching for her.

Eyes wide, she ran into his open arms, pressing her head to his chest. The Doctor’s arms wrapped tightly around her, quickly moving to caress her face. Rose ran a hand through his curls and the Doctor pulled away ever so slightly. Warm blue eyes looked lovingly into amber, and the Doctor bent down, cradling her face in his hands.

“Hello.” Rose’s smile shone more brightly than he’d ever seen before.

“Rose,” and how he savoured the way her name rolled off his tongue. He ghosted his thumb against her lips, his eyes watery as Rose cupped his hand to her cheek.

“Are we planning on escaping this place or shall I launch a grenade at the approaching Cybermen?” Toruk interrupted the couples’ reunions.

“Shush,” the Doctor mumbled, his forehead resting against Rose’s. She trailed her hand down his face, then pulled away.

“It’s right. Not about the grenade, obviously, but we can’t stay here.” Rose reached up, placing her hand over the Doctor’s before bringing them down from her face. She looked at their collection of companions, smiling at the many, happy reunions. “How far are we from the TARDIS?”

“Let me guess, you’ve promised transportation offworld to those who want it,” the Doctor swept her from her feet.

“And you didn’t?” Rose responded teasingly, still smiling hopefully.

“I missed you,” the Doctor said, his voice muffled by her hair.


	7. Epilogue

The Doctor flipped the final switch, leaning against the console as the TARDIS spun back into the Time Vortex. According to the ship’s chronometer, they had been stranded on the Cyber-planet for three weeks. For three weeks he had lived among aliens, without his closest companions. Rose’s hold on his hand had slackened as they had dropped everyone back home, until she was entirely supported by the Doctor. The toll of such a separation was stronger than mere exhaustion.

Though they had yet to actually speak to the other, their time back together had been soft. Whether they had stood there for five seconds or five hours holding each other in the empty TARDIS, even the Time Lord had difficulty deciding. Pressing a kiss to the top of Rose’s head, the Doctor (aching and exhausted) picked her up, carrying her bridal style down the short corridor to their bedroom. Ordinarily, after a tiring trip, they bathed, cleansing the dirt and the demons away. Today, in their exhaustion and after being apart for so long, the Doctor only needed to hold her.

He sat on the edge of their bed, kicking off his boots. Rose still refused to release his hands and so, with difficulty, he managed to remove her shoes with his feet as well. Lying on top of the covers, the Doctor slid over so that they were both on the bed, wrapped in a tight embrace. They lay together in silence until exhaustion claimed Rose. Feeling her breathing become steadier and the familiar pulse of her single heart, the Doctor held her close, relieved to have her in his arms once more as he, too, drifted off to sleep.


End file.
